Thursday, July 28, 2011

Are the Twins shopping their top outfield prospects?

Joe Benson hitting for the Twins in Spring Training.

Earlier this week, La Velle E. Neal wrote a piece for the Star Tribune that focused on the trade strategy for the Twins as the deadline approaches this weekend. The Twins are in the middle of a stretch of games that is going to be pivotal for the team to decide to trade off parts or add pieces for the stretch run. The clock is ticking for deals to be made and that same clock is ticking on what is left of the season for the Twins.

In part of the article, Neal mentioned that the Nationals have been perusing the Twins organization for a center field prospect that could be acquired in a trade. Many sources have noted that the Nationals have acquired about dealing for Denard Span but the Twins might not have him on the table.

If Span is not available in a trade, would the Twins be willing to part with one of their top outfield prospects in a deadline deal?

The Twins have three highly ranked centerfield prospects in the organization that have shown promise this season. Joe Benson and Aaron Hicks have both shown tremendous ability during their 2011 minor league seasons. At the same time, Ben Revere has been showcasing his skills at the major league level. Each of these players could be part of the long-term plan for the Twins organization.

Seth Stohs of SethSpeaks.net, the top Twins minor league blog on the web, answered some Twitter questions that concerned these players. He felt that many teams would be asking for these prospects in a deadline deal but a top ten prospect is not worth a relief pitcher. Later in the post, he mentions that he does not expect Benson to get traded this year and that he could be starting for the Twins by 2013.

As someone that keeps a close eye on the Twins minor league system, I would hate to see any of these top prospects exit the organization. The Twins roster in a few short seasons could include Hicks, Benson, and Span as the starting outfield with Revere serving as the backup outfielder.

That sounds like a great outfield line-up to write in everyday for the Twins and it sure is not worth trading that away for a relief pitcher.

2 comments:

That dream outfield would certainly cover the gaps well, but (and I realize I'm in probably in the minority) I'm not willing to hand over the keys to the OF to Hicks and Benson (much less Revere) quite yet.

I was encouraged by the power Benson showed last year and hoped to see that continue this season. I don't see evidence of it in his stats at this point. I've also never been as high on Hicks as most others are.

I would not trade Hicks or Benson for relief help. I just wouldn't do it. But nobody among that group is untouchable, so if there's a young frontline starter available somewhere, I think I'd be willing to talk about a deal.